This invention relates to semiconductor device assemblies comprising more than one component body within an envelope, each component body comprising a semiconductor component such as, for example, a power field effect transistor (hereinafter termed MOSFET) or an insulated gate bipolar transistor (hereinafter termed IGBT). Such device assemblies may be used in, for example, controlled half-wave or full-wave rectifiers and/or in half-bridge or full-bridge driver circuits. The invention further relates to circuits comprising such assemblies.
Published United Kingdom Patent Application GB-A-2 037 075 discloses a semiconductor device assembly comprising first and second (lower and upper) component bodies within an envelope. The lower component body is mounted on a first metal washer on a base of the envelope, the upper component body is mounted on a second metal washer on the first component body, and separate connection terminals are soldered to the first and second metal washers. A further connection terminal is soldered to a third metal washer on top of the upper component body. In the embodiments of FIGS. 9 to 11 of GB-A-2 037 075, each component body comprises a thyristor having a top main electrode and a control electrode which are located at an opposite major surface of its component body to the bottom main electrode. In the FIG. 10 embodiment, the second washer and upper component body are mounted eccentrically on the lower component body to leave uncovered a bonding pad of the control electrode of the lower component body. The whole contents of GB-A-2 037 075 are hereby incorporated herein as reference material.